first of may

Posted on May 1st, 2013 by mountain girl  |  3 Comments »

Three days ago, we were roasting in the sun on the back porch.  Cash was trying his best to get the cap off that yummy-looking sunscreen.

Soak in that sun, baby…’cause it ain’t gonna last for long.

This is today.  We got over a foot of snow in the last 24 hours.

On this obviously un-spring-like First of May, I’m finding a few things to be thankful for:

1. Another chance to shovel the driveway.  Shoveling snow is seriously one of my very favorite outdoor activities.  I got to shovel my heart out tonight while David put the baby to sleep.

2. 101 months today of marital bliss. 😉

3. The henna that keeps my hair red these days.  They tell me my hair is a beautiful color and ask me if it’s natural.  Of course, I say.  Henna is from a leaf–that’s as natural as it gets, right?

At the moment, I’m sporting a top-heavy henna mud pack wrapped in a plastic bag.  Stylish, ay?  Actually, it’s quite a bit like ’60’s beehive hair.

4. The shepherd’s pie I made–and ate–with my family for dinner. After being vegetarian or vegan over half my life, I’m making some changes.  I honestly thought I couldn’t eat any healthier than a good wholegrain vegan diet, but I’ve changed my mind.  After 6 months of reading dietary studies of ancient and modern people groups, personal testimonies, and the body’s ability to assimilate nutrients from different foods, I can say solidly that I’m not a vegetarian anymore–no apologies.

Actually, one.  An apology to my body for not listening to its signals of lightheadedness, brain fog, incessant thirst, digestive troubles, freezing hands and feet, etc.–for most of the past 20 years.  I can be just a little stubborn and bullheaded (ya think?).  I’m doing a lot better already, but still in the experimentation stage.  More on this later, but here’s a little {real} food for thought.

Tonight I ate ground beef for the first time in two decades.  I wasn’t looking forward to it, but guess what?  It was really good.  (Who knew I was such a good cook? :)) Best of all, I ate the same thing as David and the kids–and I loved that.

Come to think of it, I guess it was a pretty good first day of May, after all.

3 Responses to “first of may”

  1. Your Lion says on :

    Love my snow-shoveling, meat-eating, shepherds pie baking, 1960s little red haired girl! Happy 101 Baby! Your Lion /:O)

  2. Lyssa says on :

    I’ve been really interested in the book “Nourishing Traditions” too! Just need to find a copy in a library. None of the libraries in my area seem to carry it…

    My mom uses henna to dye her hair! I love the color.

    I also tried to be vegetarian at several points in life, but each time got so sick (with different things) and lost so much weight that the doctor always told me to go back to eating meat. No matter how many other protein sources I ate, my health couldn’t take it. Now we’re trying to go back to real foods! It’s tough with a husband whose family had a VERY unhealthy diet all his life, but he’s slowly coming to enjoy more whole foods : ) The local farmer’s markets opened up last weekend for the season, and we ate the BEST kale I’ve ever had with potatoes and local farmer’s eggs, so the transition will be smooth and slow, but steady. Hopefully! *fingers crossed*

    So good to find your blog! Are you still living in Kansas City? My mom and stepdad moved from Olatha last year when their first grand-daughter was born (Harmony). Now we all live in St. Louis.

  3. mountain girl says on :

    Hey Lyssa!
    We used to go to Olathe all the time. And we were just looking at pics of one of our trips to St. Louis from 3 years ago. We really liked visiting there. We live in Colorado now, and love it.

    I hope you find the Nourishing Traditions cookbook. It is really informative, with lots of good recipes. Sounds like you’ll be doing great with your farmers market eats!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!